Bulgaria
The Tsardom of Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe. It borders Romania to the north, the Black Sea to the east, the Ottoman Empire to the southeast, the Aegean Sea to the south, Greece to the southwest, Albania to the west and Serbia to the northwest. History After Imperial Russia fought aginst the Ottoman Turks for the eighth time in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, the Russians achieved victory and demanded the establishment of an autonomous Bulgaria. With the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano, the new autonomy was promised Sofia, Eastern Rumelia, Macedonia, and other Bulgarian provinces. However, the sudden creation of a state so large in the Balkans upset the Great Powers of Europe, and so the Treaty of Berlin was signed, limiting the Principality of Bulgaria to only the Northern portion of the Bulgarian-populated territories. Under the rule of Prince Alexander I, Bulgaria would prove to have no interest in staying under Ottoman suzerainty. It grew increasingly autonomous, to the point of de facto independence. As Ottoman rule was still present in large swathes of the southern Balkans, the relatively new nations of Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece were in similar positions as Bulgaria: their size limited, their people under Ottoman rule. But before the relationship between these mountainous kingdoms could grow cordial, Serbia invaded the Bulgarian nation in 1885. The Austrians had persuaded the Serbian king to invade Bulgaria, in exchange for possible concessions in Austrian territory and Bosnia. The Serbian surprise attack was countered and pushed back, and the only thing that saved Serbia from being overrun by Bulgaria was Austria's threats to the principality. It was not all bad news for the Bulgarians, as the war gave them an excuse to unify with Eastern Rumelia. However, relations between Serbia and Bulgaria were to be from then on mistrustful. Prince Alexander was forced to abdicate in favor of Ferdinand von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha because of Russian pressure, hoping to get a better grip on the Principality. The Tsardom of Bulgaria was declared in 1908, and Ferdinand became its first Tsar. The two bitter Balkan rivals of Serbia and Bulgaria did not always fight against each other. In 1912, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro invaded the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War. Each achieved their desire for more territories; however the peace was short-lived. Insulted by their Serbian and Greek allies ignoring the established plan to split Macedonia, Bulgaria invaded to regain its claimed territory. Instead of being on the offensive, however, the Second Balkan War would became a disaster for Bulgaria when both Romania and the Ottoman Empire intervened. Defeated and humiliated, Bulgaria was left without its desired possessions. After the outbreak of the Weltkrieg in 1914, both sides attempted to persuade Bulgaria to join the war. As Bulgaria's territorial claims were largely on Serbian land, this gave the Central Powers the upper hand in negotiations. With the war seemingly turning against the Allies in late 1915, Bulgaria was finally given an deal good enough to join the war, even though it was on the side of its former oppressor the Ottoman Empire. On 14 October, Bulgaria declared war on and invaded Serbia. By the end of the year, the whole country was occupied by the Central Powers. In August of 1916, Romania attacked Austria-Hungary, but thanks in large part to Bulgarian support, the Central powers soon retook all lost territory and overran most of Romania, leaving only Moldavia in Allied hands by January. In June, Greece joined the Allies, but the armistice with Russia in 1918 freed up forces to be used to conquer it too by December. With the conclusion of the war, Bulgaria was awarded handsomely with lands from Greece, Serbia and Romania. From the latter it gained Dobrudzha and from the former two the whole of Macedonia. Politics The Tsar has significant political power, from naming generals to deciding which laws will be implemented. Bulgaria is a highly conservative state when it comes to politics, and resembles the Tsarist Russia of 1917 quite greatly. Bulgaria has cool relations with many of its neighbours, due to the many wars between Bulgaria and most of the Balkan nations. The Ottoman Empire supports Bulgaria diplomatically, and Germany has great interests to keep Bulgaria the dominant power in the Balkans. Tsar of Bulgaria: S.K.H. Ferdinand I von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Prime Minister: Bogdan Filov Foreign Minister: Georgi Kioseivanov Minister of Finance: Kiril Gounev Minister for the Interior: Georgi Sapov Minister of Justice: Dimitar Peshev Minister of War: Hristo Lukov Chief commander of Land Forces: Todor Georgiev Chief commander of Naval Forces: Sava Ivanov Chief commander of Air Forces: Vasil Boydev Military Army The Bulgarian Army is very large, for a country of its size: it comprises sixteen infantry divisions and two outdated cavalry divisions. However, even if numerous, only a few units are well-trained and fully equipped and the majority of the forces are in much worse conditions. Navy and Air Force The Bulgarian Aegean Sea Navy (Belomorska Flota) is relatively strong despite its old age. It consists of two battleships, three heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and three destroyer divisions. The Black Sea Navy (Chernomorska Flota) consists of a single destroyer division. The Bulgarian Air Force is comprised of two tactical bomber squadrons and one Interceptor squadron. Foreign Relations Bulgaria's relations with its neighbors are generally poor due to its annexation of their territories following the Weltkrieg. Serbia and Greece maintain claims to their former lands in Macedonia, while Romania claims the coastal region of Dobrudzha. Relations with the Ottoman Empire, while not as fraught by irredentism, remain cool. Although Bulgaria is isolated in its own region, it maintains good relations with its former allies Germany and Austria-Hungary.Category:Countries Category:European countries Category:Monarchies